Surface morphology of photo-assisted chemical beam epitaxial growth of gallium arsenide

The effect of pulsed UV excimer laser irradiation on the growth rate and surface morphology of GaAs layers grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) has been investigated. Electron and optical microscopy reveals the surface of the laser assisted growths to be comprised of micron sized undulations and ripples which can be detected in real time from dynamic optical reflectivity.